No ifs or buts, there is an actual whacking great hole in the fuselage as you can see in the picture below. Full depressurisation drill and diversion from best part of FL350. No explanation so far. Going to be a busy day for 737 operators (or else an extremely quiet one!)
Here's what Southwest says:
SOUTHWEST AIRLINES INFORMATION REGARDING FLIGHT 2294
Scheduled Nashville-Baltimore Flight Diverts to West Virginia
DALLAS, TX--July 13, 2009--Southwest Airlines confirms Flight 2294, the 4:05 pm Eastern scheduled departure from Nashville to Baltimore/Washington diverted to Yeager Airport in Charleston, W. Va at approximately 5:10 pm Eastern today after a cabin depressurization. All 126 passengers and crew of five onboard landed safely and are awaiting a replacement aircraft in Charleston that will take them to Baltimore/Washington International Airport later this evening.
The aircraft cabin depressurized approximately 30 minutes into the flight, activating the passengers' onboard oxygen masks throughout the cabin. Medical personnel in Charleston assessed passengers and no injuries are reported. Southwest Airlines is sending its maintenance personnel to Charleston to assess the aircraft, and the airline will work with the NTSB to determine the cause of the depressurization. According to initial crew reports, the depressurization appears to be related to a small-sized hole located approximately mid-cabin, near the top of the aircraft.
There is no responsible way to speculate as to a cause at this point. We have safety procedures in place, and they were followed in this instance to get all passengers and crew safely on the ground. Reports we have are that our passengers were calm and that our Pilots and Flight Attendants did a great job getting the aircraft on the ground safely.
In an abundance of caution, we have initiatied an inspection of all 737-300s tonight. We expect only minimal impact to tomorrow's schedule until all of those inspections are complete.
Here's what Southwest says:
SOUTHWEST AIRLINES INFORMATION REGARDING FLIGHT 2294
Scheduled Nashville-Baltimore Flight Diverts to West Virginia
DALLAS, TX--July 13, 2009--Southwest Airlines confirms Flight 2294, the 4:05 pm Eastern scheduled departure from Nashville to Baltimore/Washington diverted to Yeager Airport in Charleston, W. Va at approximately 5:10 pm Eastern today after a cabin depressurization. All 126 passengers and crew of five onboard landed safely and are awaiting a replacement aircraft in Charleston that will take them to Baltimore/Washington International Airport later this evening.
The aircraft cabin depressurized approximately 30 minutes into the flight, activating the passengers' onboard oxygen masks throughout the cabin. Medical personnel in Charleston assessed passengers and no injuries are reported. Southwest Airlines is sending its maintenance personnel to Charleston to assess the aircraft, and the airline will work with the NTSB to determine the cause of the depressurization. According to initial crew reports, the depressurization appears to be related to a small-sized hole located approximately mid-cabin, near the top of the aircraft.
There is no responsible way to speculate as to a cause at this point. We have safety procedures in place, and they were followed in this instance to get all passengers and crew safely on the ground. Reports we have are that our passengers were calm and that our Pilots and Flight Attendants did a great job getting the aircraft on the ground safely.
In an abundance of caution, we have initiatied an inspection of all 737-300s tonight. We expect only minimal impact to tomorrow's schedule until all of those inspections are complete.
on July 18, 2009 2:53 PM | Reply
The Aloha 737-200 was 19 years old when it ripped open. I see that 737-300 were built from 1984 to 1999 which makes this plane 10-25 years old. At least it looks like a partial rip this time like it was designed for.